Traffic technology is the study of movement of vehicles on the roads. Analytical techniques may manage and track traffic information and derive travel times, guide driving behavior and optimize road infrastructure for cities. Traffic Message Channel (TMC) and other traffic services deliver traffic information to customers. Traffic incidents and traffic flow are reported through broadcasts. Traffic delays may be caused by one or more of congestion, construction, accidents, special events (e.g., concerts, sporting events, festivals), weather conditions (e.g., rain, snow, tornado), and so on.
The traffic data is collected from probes. The probes may be individual drivers or detection equipment near the road. The individual drivers may travel with tracking devices. The detection equipment may be a loop detector in or near the road that detects passing vehicles. Both of these approaches are based on intermittent samples. The sampling rates may vary (e.g., 10 out of 100 vehicles are detected) but do not provide exact and accurate traffic information. Neither approach provides lane level traffic information.